Form feeding devices



Nov. 8, 1966 R. D. DAVIES FORM FEEDING DEVICES Filed May 18, 1965 INVENTOR United States Patent 3,283,875 FORM FEEDING DEVICES Roy Dennis Davies, Hillborough, Herne Bay, Kent, England, assignor to Moore Business Forms, Inc., Niagara Falls, N .Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 18, 1965, Ser. No. 456,636 Claims priority, application Great Britain, May 21, 1964, 20,981/ 64 1 Claim. (Cl. 197-133) This invention has reference to form feeding devices, more particularly pin feed devices for feeding continuous stationery assemblies with marginally punched feed perforations through tabulators, typewriters or the like machines.

It is required when using a tabulator or like machine, for feeding continuous stationery assemblies, to change the width of the stationery being fed through the machine, and it is sometimes difficult, more especially when adjusting the form feed devices into a position for feeding the maximum form width of stationery assembly which that machine is capable of feeding, accurately to adjust the position of the form feed device transversely of the machine.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved form feeding device which is capable of simple adjustment transversely of the machine on which it is mounted.

According to the present invention, the form feeding device comprises means to feed continuous stationery form assemblies through a tabulator, typewriter or the like machine, a locking member having one position in which the form feeding means is free for adjustment transversely of the machine and another position in which the form feed means is clamped in form feeding position and catch means to secure the locking member in its free adjustment position.

An embodiment of form feeding device in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a pin feed means; and

FIG. 2 is a side view corresponding to part of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a form feeding device comprising a tractor 1 which is of the kind described in the specification of my British Patent No. 972,779, complete specification published October 14, 1964, patent granted February 3, 1965. These tractors are mounted on cross shafts of a tabulator, typewriter or like machine. For example, a pair of such tractors may be arranged at the infeed side of the platen of the tabulator and a pair of tractors are arranged at the outfeed side of the platen. Each pair of tractors is arranged to engage the marginal feed perforations of the continuous stationery form assembly at opposite sides of the assembly as shown, for example, in the specification of the Garwood British Patent No. 757,302. Complete specification published September 19, 1956, and forming a part of the disclosure in United States Patent 2,790,529.

Each tractor 1 has a body part 2 including an aperture extending through the body part and the fixed shaft 3 of the tabulator is located in this aperture. A pair of sprockets 4 (only one of which is shown) is mounted on the body part 2 and an endless chain 5 made up of a plurality of links 6 each link carrying a feed pin 7 is so arranged that the feed pins are spaced apart by a distance corresponding to the distance apart of the marginal feed perforations on the stationery assembly. One of the sprockets 4 is keyed to the drive shaft 8 on the tabulator Whereas the other sprocket is free running. The free running sprocket is driven by the chain and serves to locate the chain.

A cam lever 9 is pivotally mounted on the body part of the tractor so that its cam face 10 can engage the fixed shaft 3 on the tabulator. The lever 9 is pivoted about the pivot point 11. A spring 12 is mounted between a fixed boss 13 on the body part 2 of the tractor and one end of the pivoted cam lever 9 to urge the cam face into clamping contact with the fixed shaft 3. The outer end 14 of the cam lever 9 projects away from the fixed shaft so that it may be depressed against the action of the spring 12 to release the cam face from the fixed shaft 3 and permit the tractor to be adjusted transversely of the tabulator.

A pin 15 is mounted near the end of the cam lever 9 adjacent to the spring 12 and this pin engages an L-shaped slot 16 in a pivoted .catch or detent member 17 mounted on the tractor body part about the boss 13. One part of the slot 16 extends longitudinally of the catch member 17 and the other part extends transversely thereof. Normally, the pin on the lever is urged into the inner end of the longitudinal part of the slot but when the lever is pivoted the pin rides up the slot to its outer end and when in this position the catch member 17 may be pivoted about the boss 13 so that the pin then rides into the transverse part of the slot and then serves to secure the cam lever 9 in a position in which the cam face is out of contact with the fixed cross shaft on the tabulator. In this position the tractor may be adjusted transversely of the tabulator to effect a change of the width of the stationery assembly. When the adjustment has been made, the catch member 17 is released and the tractors are then clamped in position by the cam lever on the fixed shaft 3.

What I claim is:

In a form feeding machine, a cross shaft extending transversely of said machine; a chain pin-feed tractor device movable along said transverse shaft for adjustment to accord with different widths of forms to be fed; a normally operable cam lever pivoted on said device and swingable to and from locking frictional contact with said shaft; a coil tension spring having one end attached to said device and the other end operatively connected with said cam lever to continually urge it toward locking position, manual actuation being necessary to release the pinfeed device for adjustment along the shaft; and manually operable detent means for holding said cam lever in release position to free the operators hands for other adjustment operations, said detent means comprising a second lever also pivoted at one of its ends to the pin-feed device, substantially at the first named point of connection of said spring, which point is spaced from the pivot of said cam lever and from the general axis thereof; and said second lever having a releasable interlocking connection with a portion of said cam lever; said interlocking connection comprising an L-shaped slot in the opposite end portion of said second lever, a pin extending from said cam lever into said slot; said second lever extending transversely of said cam lever and in virtual alignment with the direction of pull of said tension spring, a portion of the L-shaped slot extending substantially longitudinally of said cam lever and generally transversely of said second lever, and the other portion of the L-shaped slot extending transversely of the cam lever and generally longitudinally of said second lever, whereby when said pin occupies the first named portion of said L-shaped slot the pull of the tension spring is blocked and the second lever retained in inoperative position.

(References on following page) 0 References Cited by the Examiner 2,645,325 3,154,233 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,154,235 5/1935 Sherman 197-133 3,159,263 11/1936 Dreher 197-133 5 11/1942 Mabon 197-133 Hope 197-133 Petit 197-126 Hubbard et a1 226-74 X Hubbard 197-133 X Goreham 197-133 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

E. T. WRIGHT, Assistant Examiner. 

